"There won’t be a transition to clean energy without a way to finance what could be the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken. Green banks — purpose-built financial institutions that facilitate funding of clean-energy projects — aim to lead the way."
"Despite a rise in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing, the financial services industry still has a lot of work to do to assist in the global effort against climate change. As with all things, this brings both social responsibility and business opportunity."
"Although the world is not reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to the extent needed to limit catastrophic global warming, major financial players are finally starting to make the shift away from fossil fuels. With recent divestment decisions now rippling across economies, hope of achieving a carbon-free energy future is not lost."
To better prepare for future disruptions, state and local governments are reducing the electric demand of their critical operations through energy efficiency, as well as making new investments in microgrids with distributed generation to ensure continuous electric supply during extended grid outages to power critical facilities.
"The reality is that a price on carbon will not be adopted by developing and emerging economies because it makes their energy more expensive, and they are too busy trying to build their economies and lift themselves from poverty."
“Smart” contracts leverage blockchain technology to streamline and automate many of the most technical and time-consuming financial and logistical steps in smaller-scale solar development. Furthermore, smart contracts integrate peer-to-peer financial mechanisms, tapping into new capital pools for small and distributed renewable systems.
A new player is entering the fold in New England’s burgeoning offshore wind sector. After years of testing the waters, Connecticut has finally jumped into the offshore wind game with a recently passed target of 2,000 megawatts by 2030. On June 4, the state legislature approved a bill establishing the offshore wind mandate, and Governor Ned Lamont signed the legislation later that same week.
Bob Mumgaard of Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Photo courtesy of MIT Energy Conference.
If fusion technology can be successfully commercialized and integrated into the electric grid, it could go a long way toward addressing climate change and future energy crises. A growing number of private enterprises are aiming to help demonstrate its practical viability.
